Abstract

-Microcircuits have been characterised as functional modules that act as elementary processing units bridging single cells and systems levels (Grillner & Graybiel, 2006). The brain, from the neocortex to the spinal cord, consists of various microcircuits, each serving specific functions. Examples of such functional modules include cortical columns of the sensory cortices, glomeruli in the olfactory systems, networks for the storage and recall of memories in the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, and neuronal circuits generating different aspects of motor behaviour. Understanding how neurons in microcircuits interact is one of the most fundamental questions in the neurosciences today. The goal of the current special issue is to provide a snapshot and a resumé of the current state-of-the-art of ongoing experimental and computational research on design principles and computational functions of various cortical microcircuits.